Major Arcana

Free Tarot Lesson The Magician

Ready to learn Tarot? Be sure to bookmark the Learn Tarot page for a full list of free lessons. If you haven’t started at the beginning yet; be sure to check the information for creating your Tarot journal. It is the most effective way to learn Tarot for yourself in a way that makes sense for you.

The Magician

The Magician represents someone who is working to consciously manifest his dreams and desires. He has the elements on the altar before him.

One hand with the wand points to the sky and the other hand points to the ground. It is bringing spirit and the material realm together, consciously directing your energy to manifest your dreams.

This is also a card of resourcefulness, learning to use what we have to meet our needs. It also speaks of being proactive and having good problem-solving skills.

Magician is someone who knows what they desire and will stop at nothing to attain that desire – for better or worse. Be sure that the goals you are pursuing are truly for your highest good.

Tarot Lesson The Fool

Started your Tarot journal yet? If not, please consider doing so as it is the most effective way to learn Tarot for yourself, internalize it and make it an authentic way to tap into your own intuition.

The fool in the Tarot is represented as the number 0 or 22 depending on what deck you use. The Major Arcana is considered the “Fool’s Journey” and he represents the individual on his/her life path.

When the fool comes up in Tarot it asks us to reflect on our journey. We can see in this card that the young man is open to the journey itself. He is dancing along on his path with his little dog and is very “in the moment”.

He’s not looking back and he’s not too focused on the distant future and as a result, he is able to enjoy the present moment more.

This card focuses on learning to be present and aware. Be mindful of where you are heading (so as not to dance over the edge of the cliff) but also embrace current opportunities with an open mind and heart.

Take time to celebrate possibilities and to enjoy what is since time is fleeting.

Fool represents newness, opportunities, being absorbed in the present. It also warns not to be oblivious however or to be so stuck into temporary satisfaction that you lose sight of long-term goals altogether.

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Remember do your own journal entries before reading mine to achieve the best results! The goal is teaching you how to connect with your own cards in your own style. Just reading and memorizing other people’s ideas/interpretations is not going to give you the intuitive, connected feeling you require to attach the imagery appropriately.

Tarot Lesson Justice

In this card, the woman sits on the throne. There are justice scales in one hand and an upright sword in the other. This card has an aura of strength – clear vision. She is facing us head on from a seat of authority. The sword upright suggests someone ready to take action. It also speaks of “sharpness” or an idea that is on target.

She has a clarity of vision and perspective that allows her to balance that scale.

Justice scales speak of being well balanced, next to the sword of action it tells me that the woman has carefully weighed all options and is contemplating and about to take action that is both swift, but fair.

When I see this card I think of someone who detaches emotionally and approaches problems with logic and analysis in an effort to be unbiased. Looking at all sides of an issue through the lens of objectivity and emotional restraint, in an effort to find a fair and equitable solution to a challenge.

If this is your first time here you really need to start at the beginning to learn about the tarot journals, how I set them up and how you can use my technique to learn to intuitively and emotionally connect more deeply to your cards.

Tarot Lesson The Hanged Man

The first obvious thing in this picture is of course the man is hanging upside down by his foot.

He has a halo looking light around his head. The greenery grows in the background.

He doesn’t appear to be upset or struggling – more complacent like he has accepted his fate and so he just hangs there.

This card speaks to me of “comfort zones” – things that are not necessarily good for you, do not lead to growth, but yet for whatever reason you become resigned and continue to just hang in there.

The greenery in the background suggests to me that there are “greener pastures” waiting if one can just correct their path and right themselves.

The halo suggests to me wisdom and meditation – connecting with the Universal mind or one’s higher power to look for solutions rather than struggling or fighting what is

In the stillness our answers come which allow us to see clearly how to correct our path.

TThe Major Arcana consists of the 22 cards listed below. Each one is covered in detail in the free Tarot lessons. Find the full list by clicking on the “learn tarot” tab on the main menu.

When an abundance of Major Arcana cards appear in a spread it indicates that the situation being read about is of great importance to the questioner. Each Major Arcana Tarot card represents a different phase of the life path or soul’s journey. They symbolize different lessons, experiences, and growing/learning periods.

Sometimes when doing readings, particularly when reading yourself, it’s good to choose one of these cards as a significator. It gives insight into the querrent and where they feel they are regarding the situation at hand. Someone who is just getting ready to go to college for example and is new to their field of study may choose the fool as their significator. The fool represents youth, newness, an open mind and a start to your journey.

Someone who is at a later stage of their life who is a grandparent and seeking wisdom about their golden years may choose the Hermit as a significator. This is the card that symbolizes the elder who has gained much knowledge/wisdom on his path and is in the process of sharing that experience and being an example to others. These are just brief examples and I will go more into the significators when I delve into each card individually.

Below is a list with brief descriptions of each of the Major Arcana cards.

Number: 0

Card: The Fool

Simple Interpretation: The fool represents fresh starts, new beginnings, the start of a venture. Approaching something with an open mind/heart. Can indicate a period of being naive or a bit irresponsible.

Number: 1

Card: Magician

Simple Interpretation: The Magician represents someone who is ingenuitive, charming and persuasive. They are able to gain the support of others and are creative and skilled problem solvers. Magician speaks of a need to use one’s time and resources wisely.

Simple Interpretation: This card speaks of the spirit/earth connection, mother nature, getting back to basics. She is also the card of pregnancy/motherhood and maternal protective instinct. She speaks of simple abundance and appreciation for one’s blessings.

Number:4

Card: Emperor

Simple Interpretation: The Patriarch, family figure. He is a disciplinarian, authoritative. He takes charge and provides for the family as he pushes them to be independent. He speaks of ambition, strength and pushing oneself to achieve.

Number: 5

Card: Hierophant

Simple Interpretation: Tradition, leadership, sometimes dogma or rigid rituals. This card is the traditional card of a priest-like figure who is the head of his congregation. It speaks of responsibility and the need for both tradition but also flexibility and finding one’s own path to truth.

Number: 6

Card: The Lovers

Simple Interpretation: Romance/love in the more literal sense but symbolically it speaks of unity, bringing together opposites (such as a good blend of creativity and logic) It also speaks of resolving conflicts and enjoying the use of the physical senses – simple pleasures.

Number: 7

Card: Chariot

Simple Interpretation: The card of drive and determination, the ability to overcome obstacles through taking decisive action. This is a card of becoming goal oriented and ambitious. Motivation and also resourcefulness.

Number: 8

Card: Strength

Simple Interpretation: This card speaks of learning to be in control of the mind/behaviors of the self as opposed to a slave to circumstance. The woman recognizes she can’t control the lion at her feet and it brings her a certain peace as she learns to direct her energy towards self-control/restraint.

Number: 9

Card: The Hermit

Simple Interpretation: Wisdom gleaned through experience, listening to your inner wisdom – finding yourself. This is a card of coming of age or attaining a peak level of experience and reflecting on the knowledge gained. Is also a card of solitude and learning to be alone but not lonely – finding one’s true passion.

Number: 10

Card: Wheel of Fortune

Simple Interpretation: The cycle of destiny is represented by this card. It reminds us that the only constant in life is change. Depending on how it appears it can indicate a positive cycle of rewards or a period of challenge.

Number: 11

Card: Justice

Simple Interpretation: Fairness, doing what is best for all concerned, objectivity and seeing the whole of a situation from a balanced perspective. Taking all sides of a story into consideration and weighing your decision carefully.

Number: 12

Card: Hanged Man

Simple Interpretation: stasis, not moving, status quo. It tends to indicate situations that have come to a standstill but can also indicate the need to stand still and think about things awhile before moving forward. Sometimes ‘down time’ gives us the necessary time to consider all our options.

Number: 13

Card: Death

Simple Interpretation: Transcendence, metamorphosis, growth. Typically this represents a cycle of growth that comes through a period of sacrifice or initial loss. It is not a card of fatality – but a card of cyclical rebirth and being reborn into a new way of living.

Number: 14

Card: Temperance:

Simple Interpretation: Balance, moderation learning the art of balance and harmony. Not going to one extreme or the other but taking the middle road. It speaks of all things in moderation and learning where one’s limits are in order to find the “middle road”

Number: 15

Card: The Devil

Simple Interpretation: Imprisonment, defeat, self-harm. This card speaks of all the things that hold us back, addiction, fear, the inner critic, abuses, anything that keeps us from reaching our fullest potential. It can also indicate others in the querrents circle who are abusive or deceitful.

Number: 16

Card: The Tower

Simple Interpretation: upheaval, surprise, crumbling foundations, changes that come from out of left field, unpredictability. This card can indicate challenges but also happy surprises depending on the cards that surround it, but regardless it means a major and sudden change to one’s course.

Number: 17

Card: The Star

Simple Interpretation: Hope, Joy, Inner peace. Feeling a connection to one’s source that provides a strong faith in oneself and one’s higher power. This card speaks of spiritual sustenance and overwhelming potential. It’s considered one of the most positive cards in the Tarot.

Number: 18

Card: The Moon

Simple Interpretation: Intuition, dreams, the subconscious are all represented by the moon. It also speaks of deep emotions and usually some degree of depression or sadness – “the blues”. When this card is properly balanced it can depict one with strong psychic senses/empathy particularly when paired with the priestess or queen of cups.

Number: 19

Card: The Sun

Simple Interpretation: Pure raw energy the sun represents the power/energy that encompasses everything. It speaks of directing our energy in positive ways and reminds us that our thoughts are energy and wherever they go our energy flows. This card speaks of abundant creative energy and the need to direct it properly into healthy areas.

Number: 20

Card: Judgment

Simple Interpretation: Enlightenment, evaluation of life’s lessons. Looking for the truth behind one’s experiences. Seeking wisdom and knowledge. Discernment and seeking divine inspiration or signs on one’s path. Also this is a card of being honest without being harsh – discipline rather than punishment… a little honesty cures many things but criticism tends to make us defensive or want to quit.

Number: 21

Card: The World

Simple Interpretation: Seasons and cycles, the whole. This card reminds us that all parts make the complete circle. There must be both day and night, summer and winter, all these opposites are both equally vital and compose the whole. This card speaks of the whole realm of experience, things that come full circle.